


hot tea with honey

by arcticwaters



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Sickfic, decided to hc that sera doesn't like tea; or at least not that fancy stuff the big people drink, in which leliana is a poor fevered baby and sera is confused (and gay)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcticwaters/pseuds/arcticwaters
Summary: So now she was running some kind of errand, having to go all the way to kitchens, then all the way back to the sleeping quarters. Just to bring some gross tea and stuff to a spymaster who went and got herself sick.





	hot tea with honey

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, it's valentine's again! Here's just something short and sweet, not even all that romantic, but I just really wanted to write out my hc for what Leliana is like when she's sick. This does not take place in my greater nightingbee/dragon age canon; there are some pieces of it, like my inquisitor, but it's just a simple standalone. (This is rated teen just because of Sera-levels of swearing and for one mention of Leliana being shirtless, but there's really nothing TOO mature here.)

Sera doesn’t know how she got suckered into this. One moment she was tracking down the Inquisitor to see if she would help her hide rotten eggs around Skyhold – a genius idea if you asked her – the next there’s a tray being shoved into her arms. A tray with tea. _Hot tea_. Gross.

Sera had found Renegade in the ambassador’s office, along with said ruffley yellow ambassador. They both sounded all worried because there were war table meetings to be had, important big people things to discussion, _blah, blah, blah_. Something about Ren’s precious creepy spymaster not being there, oh whatever would they do, _blah, blah_ , whatever. Sera didn’t listen, she’d just wanted Inky to come play with her.

It wasn’t until she heard her name that Sera looked up to see the two staring at her and asking for a favor. Her first instinct was to say no before they could even properly ask, but… ugh, it was hard to say no to Inky.

So now she was running some kind of errand, having to go _all_ the way to kitchens, then _all_ the way back to the sleeping quarters. Just to bring some gross tea and stuff to a spymaster who went and got herself sick.

It’s not that she dislikes Leliana or anything. She’s fine. Pretty enough. She’s just not on the top of the list of people Sera would run around Skyhold for, were it not for the promise of causing mischief with her friend. She has better things to do than cater to the needs of Ms Left Hand, Sister Mockingbird. Someone who, quite frankly, Sera didn’t think could ever _get_ sick. Didn’t seem like her thing. Too mysterious for weakness, that one. But whatever.

Sera hadn’t known Leliana had a _room_ either. Didn’t she just sleep in that cold bird house? If ever? Maybe that was how she got sick in the first place.

It’s a little intimidating once she’s outside the door, Sera realizes. There’s rumors about Leliana – bards, right? – and maybe she wouldn’t appreciate being disturbed when she feeling off. But Sera shakes her head; she’s just gonna pop in and out. Set the tray down, tell her _it’s from Inky and Lady Ruffles don’t stab me_ , and leave her be. Easy.

She expects Leliana to be sitting in bed, maybe reading or looking through reports, or even talking with one of her agents. The shadow bird doesn’t like to let work idle. Sera can’t really blame her, if she’s honest; she gets restless when she’s sick too. (When was the last time…? Haven, when the sudden change from a warm city to cold mountains made her head all stuffy. _Wait_ , no, it was on the way back from their first visit to The Fallow Mire. Right, all that gross, slimy water. That was a very sneezey, hacking way home for everyone involved.) Sera wonders why she would even need to bring Leliana anything when she has a whole team of spies, but whatever, it’s a _favor_.

Sera opens the door and is surprised at how dark and _quiet_ the room is. It’s very strange to visit Leliana and not be greeted by the cries of birds and the frighteningly suspicious eyes of someone undoubtedly hiding a knife on their person somewhere. But that sensation of always being watched is nowhere to be found, and that’s almost unsettling in itself. There’re no agents to be seen, and Leliana’s not reading; in fact, she seems to be sleeping, covers pulled almost completely over her. Alright, that made it easier. All she has to do is set the tray of tea on the nightstand by the bed, and then get the frick out of here. Maybe the tea’ll be cold by the time Leliana wakes up, but that’s not really Sera’s problem.

She heads inside, trying to be quiet – it’s better for her that way, but she’s also not a complete arse; she’s not going to purposefully wake up someone who’s not feeling good – but fails utterly when she accidentally kicks what might be a book and it thuds against something across the room.

 _Piss_.

It wasn’t the _loudest_ sound, but everything sounds louder when you need to be quiet. Sera finches, fully expecting Leliana to roll over and snap at her. And she does turn over, but it’s a very slow, sluggish movement, accompanied by a low moan. She pulls the blanket closer around her and her eyes blink open groggily, staring at Sera blurry and confused.

“Wha’s happening…” Leliana mumbles in a voice that’s incredibly strained and raw, and just as painful as it sounds from the way she winces and presses her face more into her pillow.

Oh. Sera stands there awkwardly frozen. “I uh… here’s tea. From Josephine… and Inky too.”

Leliana makes a small noise and lets her eyes close as she buries herself more in her blankets. Sera wonders if she understood her or even realizes who’s standing in front of her, just that whoever it was wasn’t a threat. Wow, Leliana was a _lot_ sicker than Sera had thought. She knows that not everyone reacts to things the same way she does, but she can’t remember the last time a cold had left her feeling as bad as Leliana seems to feel right now. Maybe when she was a small child…?

Sera continues forward and places the tray on the little table by the bed. Now that she’s closer, she gets a better look at Leliana; even in the dim lighting of the room, the spymaster looks paler than usual (and she’s already _someone-who-sits-in-the-dark-all-day_ pale) but there’s a bright red flush over her cheeks and nose from what must’ve been a high fever. Her breathing is labored and wheezey, she shivers a little from the fever, and the simple act of being _awake_ seems to cause her pain.

It never occurred to Sera that she would _ever_ see Sister Nightingale looking this damn miserable, and she doesn’t like it. It’s weird, like something very _wrong_ that should not be. That urge to get out of there as fast as she can suddenly fades. She still wants to leave, but now it’s to let Leliana sleep, instead of an intense desire to flee.

She might as well get her some tea first. Maybe Leliana won’t drink it, but she doesn’t seem to be able to pour it by herself right now.

“Uh, here…” she says as she sets the teacup closer to Leliana. “This might help… if you want. Sounding a little rough there, yeah?”

Leliana opens her eyes – they’re _very_ tired, and glassier than Sera expects – and stares at her dully. She looks between Sera and the tea, as if trying to decide if the effort to drink is worth it. Maybe in that over-cooked, foggy brain of hers she remembers that it was her friend who had sent it to her, as she hums and reaches for the teacup with a shaky hand, slowly pushing herself up on one elbow.

The covers shift and Sera looks away, suddenly faced with the fact that Leliana was only wearing her smalls. You can say a lot of things about Sera, but she’s not the kind of person who ogles someone who was sick and just _barely_ aware of her surroundings. Even if they were very pretty. She’s no creep, thanks.

She hears the clink of the cup and a soft _fump_ of fabric along with a small whine, and decides it’s safe to look again. Leliana’s laying on her stomach, her face mashed into the pillow she’s hugging. She hadn’t even bothered to bring the blankets back over herself. Sera can’t help but find it a little amusing; the poor thing’s just so _pathetic_ , like a real person.

She takes the covers and pulls them up over Leliana for her, and gives her a light, slightly awkward pat on the back. “You alright there, Shadows?” Leliana sighs and Sera backs up to give her space.

She’ll be okay alone, Sera thinks as she heads to the door. She’s an adult. She has people to come check on her.

“Thank you, Sera…” Leliana murmurs quietly. Her voice is slightly clearer, but still hoarse and exhausted.

Something in Sera’s chest squeezes _painfully_ tight as the voice makes her whirl back around. Leliana has shifted to take her face from the pillow, but is otherwise still.

 _Damn_. She was almost out of here. The bird just had to go and be _cute_.

There’s a chair by a simple desk in a corner. Sera grabs it and drags it to the other side of the room. She’s not right up to the bed, but she’s not too far either. Leliana rouses at the sound and she stares with those big, blue, glassy eyes of hers while Sera plops herself in the chair and crosses her arms.

“Is it alright- um… you want some company?” Sera asks awkwardly. It’s weird and she really should go, but she doesn’t want to get up.

The arm under her pillow blocks most of Leliana’s face, but Sera thinks she smiles at her before she rolls over to face the wall again.

Sera doesn’t know when someone might come ‘round to check on Leliana and trade places with her. It’s boring just to sit there, but she really can’t help feeling that staying there, _being_ there just in case Leliana woke up and need soothing, might be a better use of her time than causing mischief.

Oh, she’ll _actively_ deny it later, but right now… it’s good.


End file.
